Veterans Club launches Sandpoint chapter

SANDPOINT — A nonprofit working to reduce suicide among veterans and first responders is opening a Sandpoint chapter to foster meaningful conversations and community connections. 

The Veterans Club, a Coeur d’Alene-based nonprofit, announced that its new Sandpoint chapter will hold its inaugural meeting Nov. 9 at 3 p.m. at the Sandpoint Elks Lodge. The weekly chapter is part of the nonprofit’s broader mission to foster intentional conversations and camaraderie among veterans and first responders, helping prevent suicide one conversation at a time. 

“It’s important to give everybody different opportunities, different avenues for veterans and support groups to meet,” Sandpoint chapter facilitator Donnie Peterson said. “Even though I think there are already a couple groups in town, this chapter just makes those opportunities more available and gives veterans and first responders more of a chance to get the help that they need.” 

Called the Patriot Pour, the club’s weekly meetings across North Idaho — and soon Spokane — let veterans and first responders gather at the same time and place each week for meaningful conversations and purposeful connections. 

For the Sandpoint chapter, meetings will run weekly on Mondays at 3 p.m., subject to participant availability.  

According to Veterans Club President Ed Bejarana, the meetings are free and open to the community, with no dues or other demands. The gatherings also prohibit political campaign activities, keeping the focus on people rather than political agendas. 

For Peterson, helping launch the Sandpoint chapter is about ensuring local veterans and first responders have a consistent place to find understanding and support. He said the informal setting can make it easier for participants to talk with people who share similar experiences. 

Attendees can expect an open-forum environment with complimentary beverages and appetizers donated by the Sandpoint Elks Lodge. The meeting format is simple, Peterson said: It begins with the Pledge of Allegiance and an open-forum topic unique to each gathering. Participants may discuss the designated topic before the group or in one-on-one conversations. 

“It’s more or less a meeting. We open the floor, let people talk on the designated topic, and then after about an hour, 45 minutes, we open it up to individual conversations. It’s kind of like a social event after that,” Peterson said. “It’s important to make people feel supported and heard.” 

Peterson said a local chapter matters to the whole community, not just veterans and first responders. The group’s primary mission is to help prevent suicide. In 2024, veterans accounted for 78 of the 418 suicides reported in Idaho, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. 

Peterson said the chapter’s impact grows when attendees leave meetings with renewed optimism and encourage others in similar situations to seek support. 

Nonprofits such as the Veterans Club give veterans and first responders a place to gather and reconnect, where they know they are welcome. All the nonprofit board directors and facilitators are veterans, first responders or both. 

“We’re just veterans wanting to help other veterans,” Peterson said. 

If you or a veteran you know is in crisis, call 988 and press 1 or text 838255 for free, confidential support available 24/7.

    The Veterans Club came together to watch the Navy vs. Air Force football game.
  

    Wives of Veterans/First Responders and female veterans/first responders gather together.